Hydraulic door closer



April 10, 1962 B. A. QUINN HYDRAULIC DOOR CLOSER Filed March 18, 1960Frc. 4 29 FIG.

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ATTORNEYS Unite htates Patent spasms HYDRAULIC DQUR CLOSER Bert A.Quinn, 215 E. 9th St, St. Paul, Minn. Filed Mar. 18, 1969, Ser. No.16,052 1 (Ilaim. (Cl. 16-52) My invention relates generally to doorclosers, otherwise known as door checks, and more particularly toimprovements in such'door checks which are spring operated andhydraulically controlled.

Heretofore, the employment of liquid as a control medium in door checkshas necessitated the use of sealing means to prevent leakage of theliquid from the interior of the door check casing, particularly in theopening through which a movable portion thereof projects. l'he sealingmeans, in addition to being rather costly, is subject to considerablewear, and leakage of the fluid usually occurs before replacement of thesealing means is made. Further, while hydraulically controlled doorchecks operate to close a door smoothly and without the reboundingcharacteristics inherent in the pneumatic variety using an air column asa control medium, the hydraulic type has been heretofore more expensiveto produce than the pneumatically controlled door checks of similargeneral construction.

An important object of my invention is the provision of a hydraulicallycontrolled door check of the type involving a body and a cooperatingextensible and retractable plunger for attachment to a door frame and adoor hinged to the frame, said door check having a novel constructionand arrangement which eliminates the necessity for sealing means for theplunger.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a hydraulicallycontrolled door check as set forth, in which the liquid control mediumis disposed remote from the plunger opening in the body, whereby theliquid is prevented from leakage through said opening.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a door check asset forth which can be produced at low cost, which is highly efficientin operation, and which is extremely simple and rugged in constructionand durable in use. The above, and still further highly importantobjects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed specification, appended claim, and attached drawings.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate the inven tion, and in whichlike reference characters indicate like views throughout the severalparts:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation of a door and a cooperatingdoor frame, showing my door check attached thereto;

FIG. 2 is a view partly in top plan and partly in horizontal section,taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1; I

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2, some partsbeing broken away, and some parts removed;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken on the line rof FIG. 1,some parts being removed;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary axial section taken on the line 55 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 5 but showing a diiferentposition of some of the parts; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged transverse section taken substantially on the line77 of FIG. 3.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a conventional door frame, indicatedin its entirety by the numeral 1, is shown as comprising opposedvertically extending door jambs and a horizontally disposed door head 3.A door 4 is shown as being hinged in the door frame 1, as indicated at5, said door comprising laterally spaced stiles 6, and horizontallydisposed rails 7, one of which is shown. The door check of the instantinvention is primarily in- 3,028,620 Patented, Apr. 10., 1962 ice tendedfor relatively light duty, such, as with screen or storm doors, the door4 being shown as a screen door, the screen thereof being indicated. at8.

The door check: of my invention: comprises an elongated unitary body 9which includes upper and lower tubular members 10 and 11 respectively,an outer end wall member 12 and an inner end wall member 13. The outerend wall member 12 is welded or otherwise secured to the outer end ofthe body 9 to provide a fluid tight connection, the inner wall member 13being seated. within the inner end portions of the tubular members 10and 11, the extreme inner end of the body 9 being inturned, as indicatedat 14, to anchor the inner wall member 13 in place. A rubber-likesealing, element 15 is contained. in a groove 16 in the inner wallmember 13, and makes sealing engagement with the inner surface of theinner end portion of the body 9. Preferably, the tubular members 10 and11 are integrally formed, having a partition 17 therebetween, themembers 10 and 11 cooperating with the outer end member 12 and the innerend wall member 13 to define upper and lower chambers 18' and 19respectively, these chambers being connected by a longitudinallyextended passage 20 through the partition 17. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,the passage 20 extends from the inner end Wall member 13 for a greaterportion of the length of the partition 17. Longitudinally outwardly ofthe passage 20, the lower chamber 19 is in the. nature of a cylinder 21,see particularly FIGS. 3, 5 and 6.

An elongated plunger rod 22 extends axially of the upper chamber 18, andis loosely slidably mounted in an opening 23 in the inner end wallmember 13 for longitudinal reciprocatory extending and retractingmovements with respect to the body 9. At its outer end, the plunger rod22 is provided with a transverse opening 24 for reception of a pivot pinor the like 25, by means of which the plunger rod is pivotally attachedto. a bracket or the. like 26 mounted on the door jamb 2 at the side ofthe door frame 1 adjacent the hinge 5. In like manner, the outer endmember 12 is provided with a vertically disposed opening 27 forreception of a pivot pin 28 by means of which the same may be pivotallysecured to a. bracket 29 mounted on the rail 7 of the door 4.

The inner end of the plunger rod 22', within the upper chamber 18 isrigidly secured to one endof a connector element 30 that extends throughthe passage 20 and which is rigidly connected at its lower end to oneend of a piston rod 31, see particularly FIG. 3. The piston rod 31extends axially of the cylinder 21, and at its opposite end is rigidlysecured to a piston 32. As shown particularly in FIGS. 5 and 6, thepiston 32 is of substantially smaller diameter than the cylinder 21,whereby to define therewith an annular passage 33. Intermediate itsends, the piston 32 is formed to provide a radially outwardly openingcircumferential groove or channel 34 in which is mounted an annularelastic sealing member in the nature of an O-ring 35. With reference toFIGS. 5 and 6, it will be noted that the O-rin-g 35 has sealingengagement with the cylindrical wall of the cylinder 21, and that thechannel 34 is of suiiicient axial width to permit limited axial movementof the piston 32 relative to the O-ring 35. The piston 32 is furtherformed to provide a relatively large fluid passage 36 which extends fromthe outer end of the piston to the channel 34, and a relatively smallfluid passage 37 that extends from the inner end of the piston 32 to thechannel 34, both passages 36 and 37 communicating with the channel 34radially inwardly of the '0-ring 35. As shown in FIG. 1, the door checkis intended for use in a horizontal position, and the lower chamber 19and the cylinder portion 21 thereof is filled with suitable hydraulicfluid substantially to the level indicated in FIG. 3. Such filling ispreferably done after mounting of the door check to the door and doorframe,

through a filling aperture 38 that is normally closed by a removableplug or the like 39. For the purpose of imparting retracting movement tothe plunger rod 22, whereby to move the door 4 in a closing direction, Iprovide a coil compression spring 40 which encompasses the plunger rod22 between the inner end wall 13 and the connector element 30, and asecond coil compression spring 41 that is interposed between the endwall member 13 and the connector element 30 within the lower chamber1.9, see particularly FIG. 3.

The frictional sealing engagement of the O-ring with the interior wallsurface of the cylinder 21 causes the O- ring 35 to remain stationaryuntil the same is engaged by one side or the other of the channel 34 inthe piston 32 upon axial movement thereof. The O-ring 35 opcrates as avalve to control flow of hydraulic liquid from one side or end of thepiston 32 to the other side or end thereof during movements of thepiston 32 in opposite directions. For example, during opening movementsof the door 4, the plunger rod 22 is moved in an extending directionrelative to the body 9, carrying with it the piston rod 31 and piston 32in a direction to the right with respect to FIG. 5. During this movementof the piston rod 31 and piston 32, the O-ring engages the side of thechannel 34 adjacent the large passage 36, so that fluid flows through aportion of the annular passage 33 into the channel 34 and from thencethrough the larger passage 36 into the space between the piston 32 andthe end wall or outer end member 12; thus, when the door 4 is opened,such opening is achieved against bias of the coil compression springs 40and 41, and against a very limited drag set up by the movement of fluidthrough the larger passage 36 and the frictional engagement of theO-ring 35 with the cylinder wall. When the door 4 is released from itsopening movement, the springs 40 and 41 yieldingly urge the plunger rod22 in a retracting direction to close the door, the piston 32immediately moving in a direction from the right to the left, asindicated in FIG. 6, the initial movement causing the O-ring 35 toengage the opposite side of the channel 34 adjacent the smaller fluidpassage 37. As the piston 32 continues to move to the left, fluid flowsthrough a portion of the annular passage 33 from the space between thepiston 32 and the outer end member 12, to the channel 34 and from thenceto the opposite side or end of the piston 32 through the small passage37, the passage 37 restricting the flow to a point wherein closing ofthe door occurs at a much slower rate than the normal opening thereof.Inasmuch as bydraulic fluids generally used in fluid pressure apparatusare substantially incompressible, closing of the door is effectedsmoothly and without the rebounding characteristics generallyexperienced with pneumatic door closers.

With reference to FIG. 3, it will be noted that the hydraulic fluidlevel is considerably below the level of the plunger rod opening 23 inthe inner Wall member 13; With this arrangement, little, if any,hydraulic fluid reaches the lower level of the opening 23 during openingmovements of the door 4. During relatively rapid opening movement of thedoor 4, some turbulence will occur in the liquid in the lower chamber'19 due to movement of the lower portion of the connector element 13through the liquid. At most, only a suflicient quantity of the liquid inthe lower chamber 19 will be stirred or splashed upwardly to lubricatethe inner end portion of the plunger rod 22. Hence, I have found that itis not necessary to provide a fluid seal in the opening 23 for theplunger rod 22, inasmuch as no leakage of fluid occurs through theopening 23.

My hydraulic door check has been thoroughly tested and usedcommercially, and found completely satisfactory in the accomplishment ofthe objectives set forth; and, while I have shown and described acommercial embodiment of my door check, it will be understood that thesame is capable of modification without departure from the spirit andscope of the invention, as defined in the claim.

What I claim is:

In a door closer, an elongated body member defining longitudinallyextending parallel upper and lower chambers and a passage connectingsaid chambers, an elongated extensible and retractable plunger membermounted in an inner end wall of said upper chamber for free longitudinalsliding movements relative to said body member and having its inner enddisposed in said upper chamher, the outer ends of said members beingadapted to be connected one to a door frame and the other to a doorhinged to the door frame, one end portion of said lower chamber defininga cylinder adapted to contain hydraulic fiuid, a piston mounted forlongitudinal reciprocatory movements in said cylindrical chamberportion, a piston rod rigidly connected to said piston extending axiallyfrom said piston, a rigid connector element extending through saidpassage and rigidly connected at its opposite ends to said piston rodand said plunger member, said piston being of smaller diameter than saidcylindrical chamber portion and cooperating therewith to define anannular passage, said piston having a radially outwardly openingcircumferential channel intermediate its ends, a flexible resilientpiston ring mounted in said channel in engagement with the innercylindrical wall surface of said cylindrical chamber portion and forlimited axial movements in said channel, said piston having a relativelylarge fluid passage extending from one of its ends to said channelradially inwardly of said piston ring and a relatively small fluidpassage extending from the opposite end of said piston to said channelradially inwardly of said piston ring, said piston ring selectivelyengaging opposite sides of said channel responsive to axial movement ofsaid piston in opposite directions, whereby to effect communicationbetween said annular passage and said relatively large and relativelysmall passages selectively, and a pair of compression springs one eachdisposed in a different one of said chambers between opposite ends ofsaid connector element and the inner end walls of said chambers andurging said piston and plunger member in one direction of axial movementthereof relative to said body member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,447,678 Alexander Aug. 24, 1948 2,460,369 Stronach Feb. 1, 19492,920,338 Falk Jan. 12, 1960 2,930,070 Uebelhoer Mar. 29, 1960 2,953,810Hall Sept. 7, 1960

